Kidney Cancer( Renal Cell Carcinoma )

While there are various different forms of kidney cancer, the most widespread form of this disease is known as renal cell carcinoma. This form of kidney cancer affects twice as many men as women and usually people in their late 50s are its most common victim. Although the precise reasons for occurrence of kidney cancer are yet to be ascertained, it has been found that the chances of developing this form of cancer is more for people who smoke and take diets that have high fat content.

The three prominent symptoms associated with kidney cancer include blood in the urine, an abdominal mass that can be felt by physicians and pain in the flanks. However, it is rarely that all these three symptoms occur at the same time. Although as many as 60 per cent of people suffering from kidney cancer only experience blood in their urine, it is in no way a definite indication of this disease. Even people suffering from conditions like kidney infections, kidney stones, injuries to the urinary tract and infections of the bladder as well as urethra may also result in blood in the urine. It is essential that all cancer diagnosis is backed up by biopsy.

Physicians categorize kidney cancer according to the size of the tumor and the area to which it has spread. Kidney cancer has a tendency to spread in the early stage of its development, particularly to the lungs. This form of cancer also affects the normal functioning of the immune system that makes it all the more difficult to treat the disease. Detected and diagnosed in its early stage, kidney cancer may necessitate the removal of the kidney as well as the neighbouring lymph nodes. While chemotherapy is used occasionally, usually kidney cancer is resistant to majority of the medications. Latest therapies for kidney cancer comprise immunotherapy, for instance a constituent of the immune system called interleukin-2 (also known as IL-2).

It is important that people with kidney cancer should always use herbal therapy as a part of their overall medical treatment. This is all the more crucial because it makes immunotherapy for treating kidney cancer tolerable for the patient.

Supplements and herbs

Astragalus is a useful herb for people suffering from most types of cancer and, hence, taking astragalus capsules in dosage of 500 mg to 1,000 mg thrice every day helps kidney cancer from spreading. At the same time, they also encourage the immune system to generate more natural killer (NK) cells and T cells to combat the cancer cells. However, use of this herb is prohibited provided you have a fever or have developed any skin infection.

Catís claw tincture is another beneficial herb for cancer patients, especially those having kidney cancer. This herbal tincture should be used according to the dosage suggested on the product label in half a cup of water and added with one teaspoon of lemon juice. Catís claw tincture works to invigorate the natural killer (NK) cells in combating cancer. The use of this herb is, however, not advisable if you are already taking insulin to cure diabetes. In addition, pregnant women and nursing mothers should not use this herb. Children below the age of six years should also not use catís claw.

You may also take lentinan intramuscular injection administered by a healthcare professional. This injection puts the natural killer (NK) cells and lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells into action and they invade the cells of kidney cancer.

Licorice glycyrrhizin tablets may be taken in dosage of 600 mg every day under the supervision of a medical practitioner. These tablets help in lessening inflammation and, in laboratory tests conducted on animals, they have also destroyed tumours.

You will also find using reishi tablets in dosage of 3 gm thrice every day beneficial. Reishi tablets encourage the production of the immune system element interleukin-2 (IL-2) that assists in lessening swellings.

Taking the unadulterated extract of Siberian ginseng as per the dosage recommended on product label in one-fourth cup of water is also beneficial for people with kidney cancer. It helps the cancers which are receptive to immunotherapy.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy or treatment with essential oils is highly beneficial for most cancer patients, including those having kidney cancer. In effect, essential oils extracted from the leaves and flowers of the orange tree and the rind of the fruit possess highly potent healing actions. These essential oils are outstandingly anti-tumour and anti-carcinogenic which is based on their elevated (85 percent to 96 per cent) limonene chemistry. Findings of more than 50 clinical trials have shown that orange essential oil is effective in combating the growth of tumours.

You may use essential oils in various ways, including in warm baths. Prepare a warm bath by simply adding some drops of the essential oil to your warm bath water and soak yourself in it for no less than 20 minutes. Another way of using essential oils is to meditate while they burn in lamps. This facilitates in unwinding the mind as well as in guiding the flow of energy in the direction of the kidneys. You may also use essential oils for massage. Apply the essential oil to your stomach and temples and massage it in a circular movement.

Homeopathy

The objective of homeopathy is to heal the symptoms of kidney cancer and also to deal with the basic cause as well as the individual vulnerability. As far as curative medication is concerned, several drugs are available for treating the symptoms of kidney cancer and one may opt for any of them depending on the reason, sensation as well as the modalities of the illness. For selecting the remedy and treatment on a one-to-one basis, it is important for the patient to personally talk over to an experienced homeopath. A number of homeopathic remedies that may prove to be useful in treating the symptoms of kidney cancer include Apis Mel, Thuja, Arsenic, Helleborus, Phosphorus, Terebinth, Cantharis, Picric Acid, Colchicum, Benzoic Acid and Apocynum.

Additional things you may do

Apart from undergoing surgery, using conventional medicines, herbal products, dietary supplements, taking homeopathic remedies and practicing aromatherapy, people with kidney cancer may do a few additional things to facilitate recovery, make the treatment tolerable as well as diminish the side effects of some of the medications. For instance, you should drink grape juice, as there is a number of substantiations that may perhaps work in the form of a cure for food toxins responsible for the development of kidney as well as liver cancer.

You may also find supplements containing L-carnitine beneficial, as it helps to lessen, but not get rid of, the swelling that usually accompanies IL-2 therapy. Take this supplement in dosage of 500 mg thrice every day.

At the same time, it is important that whenever it is feasible you should expose yourself to sunlight for no less than 30 minutes daily. However, take necessary precautions to avoid exposing yourself to heat stress. It may be noted that sunlight aids the skin to synthesize vitamin D, which is useful in preventing the kidney cancer from spreading to bones. In addition, it may possibly retard the development of primary tumours inside the kidney.

It is worth mentioning here that immunotherapy entails using agents that invigorate the immune system. Interferon-alpha inhibits the development of cancer cells and, at the same time, modifies the surfaces of the cancer cells to enable the immune cells known as macrophages to identify as well as destroy them. Similarly, interleukin-2 (IL-2) sets off two types of immune cells - lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells and tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) - that invade the cancer cells; in addition to additional areas of the immune system that combat infection. Occasionally, the hormone melatonin is also used in combination with IL-2 for augmented effectuality.

Even as the therapies mentioned above definitely help a number of people with kidney cancer, the downside is that they also result in side effects that may possibly be so serious that it may require discontinuing the treatment. While use of IL-2 causes swelling, the other side effects of using interferon-alpha may comprise exhaustion, loss of appetite, nausea, fever as well as chills. A combination of these two therapies has proved to be helpful, but it also includes the side effects of both.

The chances of developing kidney cancer may be reduced by approximately 80 per cent if you take five servings of vegetables and fruits ever day. This risk may be diminished further if you keep off fat that is present in whole milk as well as butter. In addition, avoiding consumption of excessive protein may also help you in putting off kidney cancer development. While an independent link between consumption of protein and development of kidney cancer is yet to be established, consuming foods that are very rich in protein content may result in additional problems related to the kidney and this may, in turn, augment the chances of developing cancer. It is also advisable that you should be careful while using non-prescription analgesics. Presence of acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine in the non-prescription drugs increases the chances of having kidney cancer. Consuming coffee in excess, for instance, drinking seven or more cups of the beverage every day also increases the chances of developing kidney cancer.

While you are coping with kidney cancer it is important to take healthy diets. At the same time, it is also essential that you obtain added nutrition from the appropriate dietary supplements. Vital nutrients like vitamin A and vitamin C not only have the aptitude to aid in hastening the pace of the cell regeneration process, but also facilitate the body in healing. Intake of healthy fats like omega 3 fatty acids helps in lessening swelling and soreness in the body and they have been found to be extremely useful for people with kidney cancer. Omega 3 fatty acids are present in salmon oil, cod liver oil, coconut oil as well as flax seed oil. These fats are also present in sunflower seeds, various nuts, fish as well as eggs.

Drinking nutritional beverages may also prove to be beneficial when you are coping with kidney cancer. For instance, cranberry juice aids in cleaning as well as detoxifying the kidneys and the bladder. Therefore, it is advisable that if you are a kidney cancer patient, you should drink unadulterated cranberry juice every day. There are additional beverages, such as apple juice and raw carrot juice that also aid in cleansing the kidneys and the liver of surplus toxins.